Good Neighbour
by ravel queen
Summary: Ushihara Akiko wasn't a gossip. She was just concerned.  Written for the rk-fic-exchange, Outsider POV


Authors note: This was written for the november thanksgiving drabble fest at rk-fic-exchange. I was a horrible participant, because this is not related to a season and I was also late submitting it, but oh well ^^.

This is a personal pet scenario that I always thought ridiciously funny and I'm kind of proud of myself to have finally put it on paper (even if the quality isn't really that high, because I wrote in like 3 hours)

I hope you enjoy this, but be warned Outsiders POV means relatively few appearances by the actual Kenshin-gumi

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><p>The residents of the Kamiya Dojo were suspect. There was no other way to say it.<p>

It wasn't like Akiko wanted to pry or criticize. She wasn't one of the younger generation so obsessed with change they threw away everything that made up the old ways, but she didn't hate the new era and she had always been adaptable. She always knew that tradition and life styles would change and had expected to see many things that would seem strange to her when she had decided to move in with her daughter and away from the old village that she had lived in her whole life. She wasn't horribly conservative or close minded, it was not about that.

It was also not about a woman leading a kendo dojo or living alone or being the head of an household. In general she did admire the determination, strength and honour shown by Kamiya Kaoru. She didn't want her granddaughters to spend too much time with her, so they wouldn't think that was something to aspire to, but she knew how hard the girl must have it. She was never going to find a husband and would always have to fight life on her own, but she had many qualities Akiko could respect.

So she had been determined not to judge and be nice, maybe bring food by once a while. But living near them she couldn't fail to notice the strangeness surrounding the old dojo. She had been told Kamiya-san was not married, had no family and only had a student and a stray she had picked up living with her. But a lot of the time horribly unsavoury characters could be seen walking in and out of there at all hours of the day. Like that hoodlum with a bandanna and that scandalous woman doctor.

And let's not even talk about that unruly apprentice of her. They said he was a thief, involved with the Yakuza. She had seen him around and his mouth seemed as nasty as his temper.

She had also never heard as much explosions in her life, but they seemed to come from there with a worrying regularity.

On top of that two months ago the whole front of the building had been reduced to rubble! She was not a gossip,no matter what her daughter said, but she managed to pick up from conversation with other residents, that it hadn't even been the first time such a massive property damage had happened. There seemed to be one incident after the other happening and there was always so much noise coming from inside the house.

The only one with any sense seemed to be the petite red head. Akiko assumed that was the stray Kamiya-san had picked up and from the looks of it she worked as a live in maid, maybe out of gratitude or to earn her keep. Every time she had seen her she was either doing the laundry, shopping, cleaning or cooking. Akiko had never had the opportunity to speak with her, had only seen her from afar, but she sometimes felt very sorry for her. She had obviously fallen on hard times, if the state of her hair and dress was anything to judge by and she lived with such strange people under such suspicious circumstances...it didn't bear thinking about.

Her daughter said she was just getting worked up needlessly, but when she brought it up at the next tea session everyone agreed with her.

„Maybe the poor girl is in that place because she doesn't have anywhere else to go and no way to get out of the situation" Akiko said

„She is probably from an old Samurai family that was destroyed at the end of the Bakumatsu. It would explain the sword she is always seen carrying around, it's probably her only heirloom, the poor dear." Ishida-san answered.

„Someone needs to do something!" Akiko had thought long and hard about this and she was sure, „This just can't go on, what are neighbours for if they can't help each other."

„Well, but what do you plan to do? It's not like you can just steal her away." Yamamoto-san asked.

„I'm going to do what I should have done the moment I saw that poor creature carrying all the purchases home and do all the laundry for that dojo! Talk to her, show her that she has can do so much more with her life! She is still so young after all."

„_And_ very pretty. I'm sure if she cleaned herself up, she could find a good husband to take care of her in no time. In fact that could solve this whole dilemma quite nicely." Fuda-san said.

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><p>That was how Akiko was in front of the dojo the next week. She was filled with resolve. She <em>was<em> going to talk to that Miss and maybe take her home with her, she was sure she could find a few eligible men to introduce her to. This was what she had been missing since moving to the city, the solidarity, helping someone out just because they needed it.

She had observed the habits of the household, so she knew that at this time normally only the girl was around, so she would be able to speak with her in private and without interruption.

She knocked and after a minute, the door was opened.

„Please excuse the disturbance. My name is Ushihara Akiko." She bowed low. „I live in your neighbourhood and I hope you will overlook the presumption, but I find myself extremely concerned about your well-being Miss."

„Oro?"

Akiko looked up. From this close the girl was even prettier than she had first thought and the red of her hair even more vibrant. She held a huge basket in front of her and looked extremely confused, but what shocked Akiko was the sight of a huge scar on her left cheek. She felt even more sorry for the life she must have led that brought her to this point.

„I know you don't know me, but I have been watching you for a while and I just can't bear the thought of the life you have to lead." She needed to get this off her chest before she lost her nerve and obviously no one else could be bothered. _She could be my granddaughter_. „Having to lead a house-hold you don't belong to all by yourself, being deprived of a real future! You are still young and very beautiful, I'm sure in this new era of change it would be no problem to find you a husband even though you can't have your family arrange it for you. It breaks my heart to see you throw away her life so needlessly." She took a deep breath and bowed lower than before."If you don't mind please accept this ones humble offer of assistance, it would be an honour to look after one as yourself and see her off into a happy future."

„Orororo. Ehm, Ushihara-dono was it? There is no need to worry about this one. Please you don't need to bow-"

„Oi Ken, what's up? What are you doing with that grandma?"

Akiko turned around and right behind her was the huge gangster with the rooster hair she had seen around. For a second her resolve wavered, but she pulled herself together. She was not going to stand for this, this _criminal_ to come here and destroy all her hard work by intimidating the poor girl into staying.

„My name is Ushihara and I am speaking with - Ken-chan was it - about her options away from horrible influences like you." She drew herself up."It may not matter to you, but you may be destroying her future by keeping her here, she will never find a husband to take care of her like this. And I will not stand for that."

„So if you would leave us in peace." She added frostily, while being surprised at her own boldness. Maybe city life was changing her more than she had thought.

The man in front of her was frozen and for a moment she allowed herself to feel a bit of pride at having stunned him into speechlessness.

But then he suddenly started laughing. Hard.

„Ahahahahaha, oh my god, you are killing me! A _husband?_ To take care of _her_?" He seemed to be having trouble holding himself up.

„I already realized that nobody in this house was taking care of her, but I did not think that you would be so cruel as to actively ridiculing her need for a happy life." Akiko said disgusted. „Come, Ken-chan, I can not leave you here a minute longer!"

She grabbed her hand and started into the direction of her house, but was suddenly brought up short.

„Ushihara-dono, this one is happy that you would care about my happiness so much and you have a good heart, but -"

„Are you trying to defend them? Obviously the residents of this dojo have done you a service, but there comes a point where you have to think of yourself!"

„No, you have it all wrong, it's-"

„It's because Ken_shin_ isn't a woman, he's a _man_." The lanky man had obviously gotten his breath back, but what he was saying wasn't making any sense.

„Wha-" She turned back to Ken-chan to see her, no_ him_ setting the basket down, exposing his upper body and smiling shyly at her.

„But, how. What? But you are so pretty!" If she had been thinking clearly, she would never have been this bold, but she was so shocked she forgot herself.

In the background she could hear the other man -"_Sano, stop laughing please" - _breaking out into new laughter, but she couldn't focus on him.

„And I always see you shopping, doing the laundry, _cooking,_ what kind of man does this?" She was totally lost.

„Kaoru-dono has graciously allowed this one to live in her dojo, what else is there to do, but try to pay her back in any way this one can? Unfortunately the only way this one can be of help is by providing her a good home." Kenshin-san answered.

Now that he actually talked with her, she could hear that while rather high his voice _was_ male and even though he had a petite body, he was build like a man. And he was wearing a sword. So he probably _was_ from a Samurai family just not in the way she had thought.

Akiko could not remember a time she had been more mortified in her 60 years of living.

„I- I humbly apologize! I am very sorry to have made such a grave mistake. I do not know how I could apologize enough for this insult to your honour. It's-" she started contemplating if her knees would forgive her for kneeling on the ground, when a hand grabbed her and stopped her frantic bowing.

„Please Ushihara-dono, there is no need. You may have been mistaken, but only out of kindness and a desire to help. There is no way you could have insulted this one by being a good person." Kenshin-san said with a smile.

„Yeah, you don't need to worry, I mean you are kind of right, Kenshin _does_ look like a girl." Sano chuckled. „Oh my god I can't wait to tell the others about this, their _faces_, it's going to be priceless!"

„Sano, stop this you are embarrassing Ushihara-dono."

Kenshin-san was still smiling, but it started to look strained and there was a definite tick developing under his eye.

Akiko chuckled. Now that the initial embarrassment had passed she could appreciate the humour of the situation and she was quite sure it wasn't really _her_ this Sano person was annoying.

„I must get going now Kenshin-san. Despite everything it was a pleasure to finally meet you. Again, I am very sorry about the misunderstanding, I hope you will still hold me in good regard." She said.

„The pleasure was all mine. I hope we can meet again, it would be an honour." Kenshin-san bowed. „Do you need an escort?"

„Oh no, that is quite alright." She answered. She bowed a final time and turned around listening to the fading voices of the two man -"_This is the funniest thing that has happened all _week_!" „Sano, stop laughing please"_ - as they went into the dojo.

_Maybe he doesn't need a husband, but what about a wife? _He had such good manners and was obviously kind and well-spoken. _But what about Kamiya-san then, if Kenshin-san is a man, doesn't that mean that she has been living with him _all this time_?_

That's when she realised, that while she was not able to help out, she at least had acquired quite an interesting bit of information that was going to fuel her tea sessions for _weeks._


End file.
